Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

Beautifully golden. The white meat was moist. The best we have ever had in 20 years of Thanksgivings.

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

Delicious! This was the juiciest Turkey I've ever tasted! Rave reviews by our guest(s) at dinner on Thanksgiving! This is one recipe that will remain in my cookbook permanently!

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Stephanie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Peoria, Illinois, USA

Living In: Channahon, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

I BRINED A BUTTERBALL TURKEY - it was too late to turn back because I had not read all of the reviews about brining a BB turkey. I am sooooo glad that I did it. Now I did not use the brining ingredients in this recipe because I had already purchased a brining kit (with a bag) at the grocery store and used that, but I did follow the rest of this recipe. I did stuff it, but the stuffing came out so wet that it was almost unservable until my husband said to mix it in the the extra batch that always goes in the oven and Wow, that made the stuffing even better too. I did do the upside down thing and it was not fun turning a 22 pound stuffed hot turkey, but we managed and in the end, it turned out to be the best turkey any of us have ever had. No one could get over how moist and flavorful it was. The brine kit that I used was from Fire & Flavor and they do have a website FIREANDFLAVOR.COM. It was not too salty and I will never do a turkey again without brining it. Perfect turkey is right!!!

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LMSHIRE

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: York, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

I made this for Thanksgiving and couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out...everyone loved it. The brining was somewhat difficult (mostly because I didn't have a large enough stockpot), so I ended up with about 1/4 of my turkey hanging out on top. I just turned it over early on Thanksgiving morning so that the other part could soak for a few hours before I cooked it. It sure was worth that extra trouble, though, I was so surprised at how moist it turned out, and that was even after over-cooking it a bit. I followed another reviewer's recommendation and put chopped apples inside the turkey and a lot of vegetables (carrots, celery and onions) around the outside of the turkey. Great recipe, a definite keeper -- thank you so much!

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Natalie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Denver, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

I cooked my very first turkey on Thanksgiving yesterday and it turned out very well. Sooo juicy and flavorful. My family and guests loved it. One of my guests (who is a chef) commented that my turkey was so far the best that he had tasted. The process is long but if you follow the instructions carefully,you will be happy with the result. Though, I am not so happy with the skin browning.Next time I will cover it with foil half way during roasting to make it more brown.Thanks for the recipe and I can't wait for next year Thanksgiving.

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Sansu

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Union City, California, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

I have never brined before!!! This turkey was so moist!!! I will make my turkey like this again!!!

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DEBI651

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Lancaster, New York, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

It was moist...but it was salty, and that ruined dinner for me. I followed the recipe exactly. It was NOT a Butterball, which already is brined. I rinsed the bird at least 6 times when it came out of the brine...but it was still salty! Maybe my taste is weird...others thought it was salty but okay, my Mom and I thought it was really too salty. Anyone with any hints to what I could have done differently? I read all the reviews and expected it to be delicious...

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Diane LaLonde

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

Oh my gosh, after 45 years of cooking - this is the best turkey we've ever had. I will never cook a turkey any other way! So moist I bet you could 'squeeze' water out of it. Unbelievable! Thanks for this one!

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Beth

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA

Living In: Pueblo West, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

This turkey was wonderful, I did do some things a little different: First I boiled the water, 1.5cups kosher salt, thyme and pepper for about 5min, let it cool completely. I spread 1cup of kosher salt all over the turkey, in and out, then placed the turkey into a small cooler and poured the brine mixture over the turkey and let it sit in the garage for about 17 hours. The next day, I wash the turkey very well with cool water, slit holes in the breast and legs and filled with chopped garlic, spread melted butter and olive oil ALL over the turkey and sprinkled with pepper and thyme, then I placed the turkey in the fridge for about an hour to chill. I still stuffed the turkey, but I covered/tented the turkey with tin foil for 2/3 of the roasting time, then the rest of the roasting time I removed the tin foil and watched it brown up, then let the turkey sit for about 30-45min and served. This was the best Turkey I have ever had and since I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the first time this year, I was very proud (I submitted a photo if you would like to see how it turned out), I am going to do it all again this Christmas and Use it next year!!!! Enjoy, this is a MUST try recipe.

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Jessica W

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: San Pablo, California, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

The name says it all - a perfect turkey. We followed this recipe to the letter and had the best bird ever!

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Krystina

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

By far the juiciest turkey ever!!! I always cook mine breast down for about 2 hrs. It forces the dark meat fat to pool into the breast meat. The brining made it succulent and tender. Use lots of veggies and herbs. Worth the effort!

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ALASKA GIRL

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Seattle, Washington, USA

Living In: Juneau, Alaska, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

After countless Thanksgiving turkeys, I tried this recipe last year and everyone raved at how good it was. Tasty and Tender. Be warned - Everyone asked to take leftovers home (which there wasn't much, so keep what you can). This is definitely the way to go -- well worth the hassle of brining a big bird and finding the space for him.

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Bosco's Mom

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

This is an excellent recipe! My pickiest eaters (my 7 & 10 year old daughters and my opinionated father in law)LOVED IT and even had seconds. It was my first try and it was a hit! It was absolutely flavorful, juicy, moist and tasty!

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Cookie

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

I haven't baked alot of turkeys in my life but this recipe made me a star at least in my family yesterday:)The leftover juice made a devine gravy.*****

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Zachary

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Ashland, Oregon, USA

Living In: Medford, Oregon, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

This is the first time I made a turkey like this. I must say it was fantastic tasting. I really rinsed it good after the brining so the salt was there but not overwhelming. If you add broth to the gravy using the drippings you HAVE to use the reduced sodium broth. The reason I gave it 4 stars is the manner of cooking. This was the juciest turkey I have ever had BUT when I turned it over as instructed it looked like a cross between the Pillsbury Doughboy and a Chinese Shar Pei. I used a turkey roaster with the V shaped rack. The bars were about 2 inches apart and the turkey breast weht through about 2 inches. It was a 23 pound turkey so I am sure that didn't help. I will make it again this way, with it's juicyness and browning it was fabulous but when put out for my family to see and do the official carving, they laughed so hard they had tears in their eyes! Once they tasted it...they settled down and couldn't believe how awesome it tasted. Next time, I will look for a rack with narrower spaced bars or maybe put foil layers down the center. Great recipe, and I will take any tips to solve the Shar Pei breast issue.

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Ms. gayle

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Living In: West Des Moines, Iowa, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

First time briner, and this really truly is the only way to go. I can't really state enough how much better a turkey tastes after brining. I did a 24 hr brine instead of 12 hrs, because I had read other recipes stating 24 is ideal. I was going to try a Martha Stewart brine that was 48 hrs, but decided, for the first time, I would be less ambitious. I will NEVER make a turkey another way. I got raves from my own mother - which is hard to come by! I also did not flip it 2/3 of the way- I cooked it breast side up the whole time, and just loosely covered it with foil for the last 1/3 of cooking. Looked as good as it tasted.

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tammy

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

Awesome...I will be making my turkey the same way again next year! It was very moist and tasty.

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Kimberly S.

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

I really wanted to rate this recipe higher, but I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. The bird fell apart when I turned it over, only half way through the cooking time. I can't imagine how bad it would have been had it cooked 2/3 the way as the instructions said. I also had to keep adding liquid, as I had hardly any drippings. Was it moist? Yes, but not very different than other turkeys I have cooked. I think I will continue to make my turkeys the way I have done for years... The gravy was very good though! UPDATE: The leftovers were VERY good. I'm not sure why, but sometimes flavors mingle better after the first day.

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Goldilocks19

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: San Diego, California, USA

Living In: Bend, Oregon, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

OMG!!! This IS the perfect Turkey. I'm a Ham person at Thanksgiving not a turkey person, but now, after making this turkey, I'm a turkey person. I have NEVER tasted turkey like this. It is not that the other turkey's were dry it's that they were so so bland. I would always have to add salt or dressing to make the turkey taste good. This "Perfect Turkey" is just that, perfect!! You don't need to add anything to this turkey to eat it. It was moist and tasty. Everyone at Thanksgiving raved about the taste. Unbelievable. I've only made two turkeys in my whole life and I am floored by how good this is. The kicker is I used the left over Turkey to make soup and I didn't need to add anything but water. The Turkey had so much flavor I made Perfect Turkey Soup with it.

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kray

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Portland, Oregon, USA

Living In: Tularosa, New Mexico, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

I am giving this recipe four stars because I did not like the gravy. The turkey turned out moist and very tender. It was not too salty, which I was a little nervous about. It also browned nicely. I guess my disappointment in the gravy was because it tasted more like a vegetable broth than a turkey gravy; I think the next time I make this I will use chicken broth in the pan and eliminate the vegetables -- except for the onion. I guess my tastes are unique because based on all the wonderful reviews, the taste of the gravy didn't bother anyone else. I made a 13 pound fresh turkey for just three people. The two other people hate turkey -- and unfortunately this did not conform them. I followed the recipe exactly.

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